Machine for making tufted fabric with cut and uncut pile loops



Aug. 13, 1963 w. A. RlCE 3,100,467

MACHINE FOR MAKING TUFTED FABRIC WITH CUT AND UNCUT FILE LOOPS Filed May 19, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

I IN ENTOR. Mag 1. a

ATTQ RNEYS Aug. 13, 1963 W. A. RICE MACHINE FOR MAKING TUFTED FABRIC WITH CUT AND UNCUT PILE LOOPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 19, 1961 FIG. 4

United States Patent 3,100,467 MACHINE FGR MAKEING TUFTED FABRIC WITH CUT AND UNCUT PHLE LOOPS Walter A. Rice, Amsterdam, N.Y., assigncr to Mohasco Industries, Inc, Amsterdam, N.Y., a corporation of New Yorlr Filed May 19, 1961, Ser. No. 111,272 2 Claims. (Cl. 112-79) This invention relates to machines for the production of pile fabrics by a tufting operation, in which loops of pile yarn are passed through a backing sheet by means of needles. More particularly, the invention is concerned with improved features of the tufting machine for making fabrics having a pile of cut and uncut loops arranged in accordance with a pattern, which is illustrated and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 836,360, filed August 27, 1959, now US. Patent No. 2,985,124, granted May 23, 1961.

The tufting machine of my prior application includes the usual needle bar carrying a plurality of needles and reciprocating vertically.- On the downstroke of the bar, the needles pass pile yarn loops through a backing sheet being advanced over a bed plate and loopers associated with respective needles enter the loops at the appropriate time and retain them temporarily, so that they will not be pulled out of the backing sheet by the rising needles. The pile yarns are fed positively to the needles in increments varying in length in accordance with a pattern and means are provided between the feeding means and the needles for deflecting the yarns from their normal path of travel to store supplies of the individual yarns, each such supply being sufiicient for the formation of a loop of maximum height. As the needle bar descends, the stored supplies of the pile yarns are released from storage and are available for formation into loops and, in the next upstroke of the needles, a deflector bar moving with the needles deflects the yarns to reestablish the stored supplies, utilizing for the purpose the increments of yarn fed during the needle cycle by the feeding means. If the increment of a yarn fed in any cycle is insufficient for the formation of a loop of maximum height, the action of the deflector bar in re-establishing the stored supply of that yarn will cause yarn to be withdrawn from the last inserted loop thereof. The height of any loop of yarn thus depends on the length of the increment of that yarn fed during the needle cycle, in which the loop was in serted.

The machine of the application is provided with means for cutting pile loops of more than a selected height and, for this purpose, is provided with a plurality of stationary cutting elements in the form of hooks having pointed ends extending toward respective needles and in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the backing sheet. A movable cutting element co-operates with each stationary element and, after the completion of the formation of a row of loops of varying height in the backing sheet, the movement of the sheet toward the stationary elements causes the loops of more than the select ed height to be entered by the pointed ends of the elements. Thereafter, the stationary and movable elements co-operate to sever such loops. While the inserted loops are held by the loopers, the loops lie in a plane transverse to the backing sheet but, when the loopers are withdrawn from the loops, the loops sometimes have a tendency to twist and, if such twisting were not prevented, the twisted loops could not be entered by the pointed ends of the cutting elements. Accordingly, the machine of the application is provided with a stationary holding plate, which has an edge lying close to the plane of movement of the needles and, as the loops are released by the loopers, their ilhdfih? Patented Aug. 13, 1953 contact with the edge of the plate prevents them from twisting. In order that the plate may be efiective to prevent twisting of the loops to such an extent that the pointed ends of the cutting elements will not enter them, it is necessary that the pointed ends of the elements lie a distance from the plane of needle movement, which is less than the distance between adjacent transverse rows of loops inserted through the backing sheet. Also, the free edge of the plate must lie close to the plane of the needle movement. With the cutting elements and plate lying so close to the plane of needle movement, vibration of the machine during operation and slight misalignment or misadjustment of the parts may result in interference of the cutting elements and plate with the needles and loopers with resultant damage to the parts and the formation of imperfections in the fabric.

The present invention is, accordingly, directed to the provision of improvements in the tufting machine of the prior application for insuring that all pile loops of more than a selected height will be cut, the means for the purpose being so constructed that interference between the moving parts is avoided. The machine with the improved features operates to pass transverse rows of pile loops of maximum height through a backing sheet by means of needles and the loops are retained in the fabric by loopers which enter the loops to retain them. While the loopers engage the loops, the loops lie in a plane through the needles and, while the loops are in this condition, a movable pusher plate advances toward the loops and engages them above the tops of the loopers. As the loopers are retracted, the pusher plate prevents the loops from twisting out of a plane parallel to the plane of needle movement and the plate moves with the loops until the loops are so close to the pointed ends of the cutting elements that twisting of the loops would not prevent them from being entered by the ends of the elements. The plate is then retracted so that it will be out of the path of the needles on their next descent. With the arrangement described, the pointed ends of the stationary cutting elements may lie spaced from the plane of needle movement a distance at least as great as the spacing of adjacent rows of loops in the backing sheet and interference between the cutting elements with the needles and the loopers is avoided.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view with parts omitted of a tufting machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the machine;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views of the machine illustrating the action of the pusher plate; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

The tufting machine illustrated comprises a frame structure 10', on which is mounted a bed plate 11, over which a backing sheet BS is advanced from a supply roll by rolls 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, some of which are driven. A shaft 17 mounted above the bed plate within a housing 18 and driven by suitable means reciprocates a needle bar 19 through push rods 20, which are movable on guides 21 and are attached to the needle bar. The needle bar extends across the backing sheet and carries a plurality of needles 22 which penetrate the backing sheet and pass through slots in the bed plate on the downstroke of the needle bar.

The pile yarns Y are drawn from individual packages in a creel and pass through guides 23 attached to brackets 24 secured to the machine framework. The brackets carry a feed mechanism 25 which is of the construction shown in the Crawford Patent 2,853,033, issued September 23, 1958. The mechanism includes a lower set of I) 6 chains 26 trained about sprocket wheels on a shaft 27 and guides 28, the corresponding links of the chains carrying wires or slats 29 which extend across the sheet of yarns traveling from the guides 23 to guides 30 mounted on the brackets 24 beyond the feeding mechanism. The mechanism includes an upper set of chains 31 trained about sprocket wheels on shafts 32, 3'3 and guides 34, the chains carrying wires or slats 35 extending transverse to the sheet of yarns. The slats 29 on the portions of the chains 26, which are in contact with the guides 28, are in meshing relation with the slats 35 on the portions of the chains 31 in contact with the guides 34 and the intermeshed slats form the yarns Y into waves. The slats 129 are of uniform height from end to end while the slats 35 vary in height in accordance with the requirements of a pattern. Accordingly, the amplitude of a wave of yarn between adjacent slats 29' depends on the height of the section of the slat 35 forming the wave and the length of yarn in respective waves thus varies in accordance with the pattern.

Beyond the guides 30, the yarns pass through sets of guides 37, 38 mounted on the push rod guides 21. A deflector bar 3h is mounted on brackets 40 attached to the needle bar 19 in position to engage the yarns traveling from the guides 37 to the guides 38 and is operable on the ascent of the needle bar to deflect the yarns from the straight path guides 37 to guides 38. The difference in length of a yarn passing directly from a guide 37 to a guide 38 and the length of the yarn when deflected by p the bar 3 9 forms a stored supply of the yarn. The maximum deflection of the bar 39' produces a stored supply of a yarn suflioient for the formation of a loop of maximum height plus the backstitch connecting adjacent loops at the back of the fabric. From the guides 38, the yarns pass to the eyes 22a of the individual needles 22.

A plurality of loopers 41 of hook form, one for each needle, are adjustably mounted in a bar 42 attached to arms 43 secured to a rockshaft 44 mounted in suitable bearings below the bed plate 11. A rockshaft 45 is mounted in bearings above the rockshaft 44 and is provided wtih arms 46 to the free ends of which are attached a push plate 4 7 which is movable along a path between the upper ends of the loopers 41 and the under side of the bed plate. The free ends of the loopers and the free edge of the push plate point down stream in the direction of travel of the backing sheet BS and, as the shaft 45 is rocked, the ends of the path of travel of the free edge of the plate lie on opposite sides of the plane in which the needles move.

A plurality of stationary cutting elements 48 of hook shape, one for each needle, are adjustably mounted in an L-shaped bar 49 attached to a bar 50 secured to the framework of the machine below the bed plate 11. The stationary cutting elements lie in the planes of their associated needles and have'pointed ends 48a which are directed upstream in the direction of travel of the backsing sheet BS and are spaced from the plane of needle movement a distance at least as great as the distance between adjacent rows of loops L in the finished fabric. A plurality of movable cutting elements 51 are adjustably mounted in holders 52 secured to a bar 53 carried by arms 54 on a rockshaft 55' below the level of the bed plate and the rocking of the shaft causes the upper edges of the movable elements 51 to co-operate with the under edges of the pointed ends 48a of the stationary elements 48 to sever loops of pile yarn entered bythe ends 48a.

In the operation of the machine, the pile yarns Y are drawn from the supplies by the action of the slats 29, 3 of the feeding mechanism and the yarns are fed in increments corresponding to waves formed by the engagement of the slats with the yarns. The increments vary in length in accordance with the pattern and the successive increments of the yarns fed pass through guides 30 to the guides37, 38. From the guides 38, the yarns travel to the eyes of the respective needles 22. As the needle bar descends from its topmost point, the deflector bar 39 is moved down with it away from the yarns between the guides 37, 38, so that the stored supplies of the yarns are available for passage by the needles through the backing sheet for the formation of loops of maximum height. As the needles begin to rise, the rockshaft 44 moves the loopers 41 so that their ends enter the loops of yarn, which have been passed through the backing sheet, and retain the loops as the needles travel upwardly. During such upward travel of the needle bar, the deflector bar 39 moves up to deflect the yarns between the guides 37, 38 and, preferably, the deflector bar and the loopers are so timed that the bar will cause the loops to be pulled tight against the loopers and yarn to be pulled through the loops to tighten the backstitches.

While the needles are rising and the actions above described are occurring, the pusher plate 47 is being advanced so that its free edge 47a engages the lastinserted loops L while they are still held by the loopers and just before the needles clear the backing sheet. ,The sides of each loop lying in contact with the edge 4711 are thus in the plane of the needles (FIG. 3). As soon as the needles have cleared the backing sheet, the sheet begins to advance and the pusher plate moves in the same direction as the sheet and at about the same rate so that its free edge stays in contact with the loops and prevents them from twisting. During the movement of the backing sheet, the loopers are retracted to release the loops and, if any loop sticks on its looper, it will be freed from the looper by the action of the plane. At the end of its travel toward the stationary cutting elements 48, thefree edge 47a of the pusher plate lies spaced from the pointed ends 48a of the stationary cutting elements a distance shorter than the width of a loop of the height to be cut when the loop has been released by-the looper. Accordingly, as the backing sheet moves such loops away from the free edge of the pusher plate, the loops cannot twist sufliciently to avoid being entered by the pointed ends of the cutter elements. During the advance of the pusher plate, those loops which have been shortened by the withdrawal of yarn therefrom by the action of the deflector bar 39 lose contact with the free edge of the pusher plate and twist. Such short loops L" pass over the tops of the pointed ends 48a of the stationary cutting elements so that they remain uncut. The long loops, which are entered by the pointed ends of the stationary cutting elements, are severed by the action of the movable cutting elements 51 so as to form the tuft legs TL.

In a tufting machine equipped with the movable pusher plate, it is possible to space the stationary cutting elements so that their pointed ends lie sufliciently far from the plane of needle movement to avoid damage to the needles and the elements as a result of vibration. in the retracted position of the pusher plate, its free edge lies well out of the paths of the needles. When the plate is advanced, it remains in contact with the long loops L during the movement of the backing sheet and this insures the penetration of these loops by the pointed ends of the stationary cutting elements and the eventual cutting of such loops. The movement of the plate also insures that no loops will be retained on their loopers a suflicient length of time to cause the rising deflector bar to pull yarn through these loops and out of the preceding loops. The use of the plate thus prevents imperfections in the finished fabric in the form of uncut long loops and short loops, which have been reduced below the height desired I claim:

1. In a machine having means for advancing a backing sheet over a support, a plurality of vertically reciprocable needles disposed in a row extending transversely of the direction of movement of the sheet and operable to insert successive rows of loops of pile yarns through the sheet, the loops being of uniform height, a row of loopers beneath the support movable in the direction of Also,

advance of the backing sheet to enter and retain the inserted loops when the needles are rising and retractable to release the loops, and means for withdrawing yarn from lastinserted loops selected in accordance with a pattern to shorten such loops, the combination of a plurality of stationary cutting elements aligned with respective needles below the level of the support and having pointed ends adapted to enter loops of more than a selected height only, the ends of the elements being spaced from their associated needles in the direction of movement of the backing sheet a distance at least equal to the spacing between adjacent transverse rows of loops, a plurality of movable cutting elements 'co-operating with respective stationary elements to sever loops entered by the pointed ends of the latter, a pusher plate extending the length of the row of needles, a mounting for the plate movable to cause the plate to travel bodily along a path which lies between the upper ends of the loopers and the under side of the support and extends along the line of travel of the backing sheet from one side of the plane of movement of the needles to the other, and means independent of the needles for reciprocating the mounting to cause the plate to move beneath the rising needles and engage inserted loops and move with them as the backing sheet advances to prevent the loops from twisting and to move back from beneath the needles to avoid contact therewith as' they descend.

2. In a machine as describe-d inclaim l, the combination of claim 1, in which the support for the pusher plate comprises arms attached to a rockshaft and the plate has a free edge for engaging the loops.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,836,134 Harrison May 27, 1958 2,853,034 Crawford Sept. 23, 1958 2,879,728 McChltchen Mar. 31, 1959 2,985,124 Rice May 23, 1961 3,019,748 Card Feb. 6, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 635,817 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1950 

1. IN A MACHINE HAVING MEANS FOR ADVANCING A BACKING SHEET OVER A SUPPORT, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE NEEDLES DISPOSED IN A ROW EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE SHEET AND OPERABLE TO INSERT SUCCESSIVE ROWS OF LOOPS OF PILE YARNS THROUGH THE SHEET, THE LOOPS BEING OF UNIFORM HEIGHT, A ROW OF LOOPERS BENEATH THE SUPPORT MOVABLE IN THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE OF THE BACKING SHEET TO ENTER AND RETAIN THE INSERTED LOOPS WHEN THE NEEDLES ARE RISING AND RETRACTABLE TO RELEASE THE LOOPS, AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING YARN FROM LAST-INSERTED LOOPS SELECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PATTERN TO SHORTEN SUCH LOOPS, THE COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY CUTTING ELEMENTS ALIGNED WITH RESPECTIVE NEEDLES BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE SUPPORT AND HAVING POINTED ENDS ADAPTED TO ENTER LOOPS OF MORE THAN A SELECTED HEIGHT ONLY, THE ENDS OF THE ELEMENTS BEING SPACED FROM THEIR ASSOCIATED NEEDLES IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE BACKING SHEET A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT TRANSVERSE ROWS OF LOOPS, A PLURALITY OF MOVABLE CUTTING ELEMENTS CO-OPERATING WITH RESPECTIVE STATIONARY ELEMENTS TO SEVER LOOPS ENTERED BY THE POINTED ENDS OF THE LATTER, A PUSHER PLATE EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE ROW OF NEEDLES, A MOUNTING FOR THE PLATE MOVABLE TO CAUSE THE PLATE TO TRAVEL BODILY ALONG A PATH WHICH LIES BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE LOOPERS AND THE UNDER SIDE OF THE SUPPORT AND EXTENDS ALONG THE LINE OF TRAVEL OF THE BACKING SHEET FROM ONE SIDE OF THE PLANE OF MOVEMENT OF THE NEEDLES TO THE OTHER, AND MEANS 